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KETV
KETV, ch. 7, is the ABC affiliate in Omaha, Nebraska & is owned by Hearst-Argyle Television. History It was founded in September 1957 as Omaha's 3rd TV station. The station has always been Omaha's ABC affiliate. The station was founded by World Publishing Company, the parent company of the Omaha World-Herald. When construction magnate Peter Kiewit, Jr. bought World Publishing in 1962, he owned the station, which was known as Omaha World-Herald television, until 1976. Kiewit sold the station to Pulitzer Broadcasting Company in 1976. In 1998, Pulitzer sold it's entire broadcasting division, including KETV, to Hearst-Argyle Television. For the last 3 decades, the station's newscasts have been branded as NewsWatch 7. Under it's current ownership, it has been known since 2000 as KETV NewsWatch 7. The station's studios are located near 27th & Douglas in downtown Omaha. The transmitter tower is located on a "tower farm" near North 72nd & Crown Point. In November 2006, KETV overtook long-time ratings leader WOWT (a Gray Television station) to become the #1 station for local news in Omaha. In recent years, the 2 stations have fought neck-&-neck for the #1 spot. KMTV, run by Journal Broadcast Group, has remained a distant third in the ratings battle. Since 1982, KETV NewsWatch 7 has been known for it's weekly Crimestoppers segments & has contributed to the arrest & conviction of more than 1,000 wanted felons. KETV has also had a long running hotline & webpage called 7 Can Help which has & continues to contribute to helping the greater Omaha community through financial grants, high utility bill relief & services for area children. 7 Can Help has also been known to intercede on behalf of senior citizens with matters such as getting benefits that have been otherwise denied them. In October 1996, KETV began televising all of it's local newscasts from a working newsroom which is known as The Newsplex. The multi-million dollar broadcast facility is still in use to date. In the years prior to the Newsplex, reporters & anchors had to type their news stories in a separate news room & deliver them to the NewsWatch 7 studios which were on the opposite side of the building. In February 2006, KETV NewsWatch 7 reformatted it's investigative unit, in an effort to bring more attention to in depth investigative stories, along with health & consumer reporting. It has been re-launched as the NewsWatch 7 "I" Team. KETV was the first to have a full time meteorologist beginning in the early 1970s, the first station with live Weather Radar in the late 1970s & was the second station to utilize Doppler weather radar in the early 1980s. In July 2006, KETV launched a 24-hour local weather channel, "Weather Now," that appears on DT subchannel 7.2 as well as local cable systems & on the station's website. Among the many KETV alumni is John Coleman who worked @ the station in the 1960s. Coleman later appeared as the meteorologist for Good Morning America before going on to create & launch The Weather Channel in 1982. That same year, then KETV Chief Meteorologist, Charlie Martin took a job @ TWC to become 1 of the cable channel's 1st OCMs. Martin, who worked @ KETV from the late 1970s through the early 80s was known on The Weather Channel as Charlie Levy. On July 4 2003, KETV's transmitter tower (@ the north 72nd St. tower farm) collapsed during the addition of a DTV antenna. Thankfully, it happened late @ night & no one was injured. The station was forced to broadcast from their shorter auxiliary tower for over a year. A new transmitter was erected almost 200 feet east of where the old transmitter stood on the tower farm & was completed in late 2004. KETV's nearest sister stations are CBS affiliate KCCI-TV ch. 8 in Des Moines, Iowa & fellow ABC affiliate KMBC-TV ch. 9 in Kansas City, Missouri. KETV's logo is their variation of a widely used Circle 7 logo which has been in use by the station since 1984 with a slight graphical update in 2000. From the mid 1970s until 1984, KETV used a geometrical shaped 7 that had a horizontal rectangle for the "top" portion & a sideways triangle for the "bottom" of the 7. This stylized "7" was used to represent Omaha on Weather/Doppler radar graphics from the 1970s through 1993. News/Station Presentation Newscast Titles *''KETV Newservice'' (1971-1976) *''NewsWatch 7'' (1976-2000) *''KETV NewsWatch 7'' (2000-present) Programming Programming on KETV includes The Rachael Ray Show, Access Hollywood, The View, Judge Judy & Wheel of Fortune. KETV NewsWatch 7 Newscasts Weekdays KETV NewsWatch 7 First News (Weekdays from 5-7 AM) * John Oakey - Anchor * Nichole Berlie - Anchor * Chuck McWilliams - Meteorologist * Mike'l Severe - Live Reports KETV NewsWatch 7 @ 11:30 AM :effective September 8 2008, this newscast will be replaced by The Bonnie Hunt Show * John Oakey - Anchor * Andrea Bredow - Meteorologist KETV NewsWatch 7 @ 5, 6 & 10 PM * Rob McCartney - Anchor * Julie Cornell - Anchor * Bill Randby - Chief Meteorologist * Jon Schuetz - Sports Weekends Saturday KETV NewsWatch 7 First News Saturday (5-6 & 7-8:30 AM) * Adrian Whitsett - Anchor * Marla Rabe - Anchor * Marc Krammer - Meteorologist KETV NewsWatch 7 @ 5:30 & 10 PM * Farrah Fazal - Anchor * John Campbell - Meteorologist * Matt Schick - Sports Sunday KETV NewsWatch 7 First News Sunday (5-6 AM, 7-8:30 AM) * Adrian Whitsett - Anchor * Marla Rabe - Anchor * Marc Krammer - Meteorologist KETV NewsWatch 7 @ 5:30 & 10 PM (10 PM newscast is 1 hour long) * Rob McCartney - Anchor * Julie Cornell - Anchor * Chuck McWilliams - Meteorologist * Bill Randby - 10 PM Meteorologist * Matt Schick - Sports KETV Past Known On Air Personnel *Carol Schrader (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1977-1996) Hosted PBS interview program called "Consider This" from 1997-2006. On October 1st, 1996 shortly after the 5 PM newscast, Ms. Schrader walked out of the studio & quit citing differences with management. Many viewers were surprised by Schrader's abrupt exit. This was the same day the station debuted the then-new "Newsplex" studio. *Michael Scott (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1982-1993) Later an Anchor for KMTV from 1995-1999. *Daniel Plante (Lead Anchor: 1993-1995) Son of CBS News veteran reporter Bill Plante, now works for KUSI in San Diego *John Knicely (Sports Director: 1984-1992) Lead Anchor for WOWT since 1992. *Jim Flowers (Chief Meteorologist: 1985-1992) Was Chief Meteorologist for WOWT from 1992 to 2012. Became Chief Meteorologist for KMTV from 2013 to 2016. Now retired. *Greg Peterson (1992-1995 Sports Director) Later Lead News Anchor for KMTV from 2001-2006. Currently Lead News Anchor @ WPMI in Mobile, Alabama *Ross Jernstrom (Sports: 1979-1994) Today sportscaster for the WOWT "Sports Machine". *Paul Bouchereau (Meteorologist 1989-1994) Now with Feed The Children, Inc. *Ron Gerard (AM/Weekend Meteorologist mid 1980s-1989) Later Chief Meteorologist @ KPTM FOX 42 from 1989-2000. *Margaret Bumann (Health/Reporter: 1986 until early 2000s) *Allan Muse (Lead Anchor/Reporter: 1970s) *Marcia Ladendorff (Omaha's first female Lead Anchor: late 1970s) *Lee Terry Sr. (Anchor/News director: 1960s-Mid 1970s) Now a panelist on KETV's Kaleidoscope, a community affairs show. *Frank Brown (Reporter: 1980s-1990s) Now on the Omaha City Council. *Pamela Jones (Anchor/Reporter late 1990s-2005) Now reporter, fill-in anchor @ WBBM-TV in Chicago. *Jill Cordes (Morning Anchor: 1990s) Now hostess of My First Place on HGTV. *John Coleman (Meteorologist: 1960s) (1 of the founders of The Weather Channel in 1982.) Now @ KUSI in San Diego. *Charlie Levy (Chief Meteorologist: Late 1970s-early 1980s as Charlie Martin) Charlie was with the station when the then-new "Radar 7" weather tower was built & put into use. Known today as Super Doppler 7 Radar. *Ted Mullins (Lead Anchor: Early 1980s) Deceased. *Don Novak (Meteorologist: early-mid 1980s) *Dan Gray (Lead Anchor: Early-Mid 1980s) Now @ KTVI in St. Louis *Melissa Wells (Weekend Anchor: Mid-late 1980s) *Jerry Fannon (Weekend Anchor: Early 1980s Later a Reporter from Mid 80s-Early 90s) *Chris Grote (Weekend Meteorologist: Late 1980s) Later @ WCCO-TV in Minneapolis *Jay Cardosi (AM/Weekend Meteorologist: 1989-1995) Now Chief Meteorologist @ WLKY in Louisville, Kentucky *Cindy Andrew (Reporter: 1996-2004) Now a Real Estate Agent in Omaha *Tom Elser (Anchor/Reporter: Late 1990s-2005) Currently works with The Steier Group in Omaha *Paul Italia (Reporter early 80's) Currently works for Delta Airlines KETV Current Photographer Staff *Justin "HR" Riviera (since 2006) External links *KETV NewsWatch 7's Website